April 23, 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics 101: Spectrographs and Spectroscopy

Credit: ESA/Hubble, John Hutchings (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory), Bruce Woodgate (GSFC/NASA/ESA), Mary Beth Kaiser (Johns Hopkins University), Steven Kraemer( Catholic University of America), and the STIS Team
What Are Spectrographs and Spectroscopy?
Spectroscopy is the basic discipline that determines and analyzes the electro-magnetic spectra that result from the interaction in between electro-magnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. It is an essential tool that astronomers use to study the Universe. Spectrographs are instruments that are utilized to perform spectroscopy. They supply researchers with the data they require to examine the products that make up stars, nebulae, galaxies, and the environments of worlds.
A spectrograph can be used to evaluate any things that absorbs or emits light to figure out qualities such as temperature, density, chemical composition, and speed. As soon as light enters a spectrograph it is split by a dispersive optical aspect into its different components (or wavelengths) in order to be studied. In this way, Hubbles images tell us what something looks like, while the spectrum data inform us what it is and what its made of.
Spectroscopy is an essential tool that astronomers use to study deep space. Spectrographs are instruments that are used to perform spectroscopy. They offer scientists with the data they require to examine the materials that make up stars, nebulae, galaxies, and the environments of worlds.

Spectrographs are instruments that are used to perform spectroscopy. A spectrograph can be used to examine any item that soaks up or emits light to figure out attributes such as temperature level, density, chemical composition, and velocity. Spectrographs are instruments that are used to perform spectroscopy. Utilizing its spectrographs, Hubble has actually also offered the very first direct detection of the environment of a planet orbiting a star outside our Solar System and has spotted natural molecules in the atmosphere of a world orbiting another star.

We invite you to see the Hubblecast embedded above that checks out how spectroscopy works and how it facilitates important research with the Hubble Space Telescope, including ingenious research study in the research study of exoplanets.
Discover more about Hubbles observations of gravitational lensing here.

Two spectrographs are ont he Hubble Space Telescope: the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, which was installed on the telescope in 1997, and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, which was set up in 2009.
Spectroscopy has been the foundation of numerous essential Hubble discoveries. Hubble has actually recorded a black holes signature, and its spectroscopic observations fingerprinted the far-off Universe using the light from quasars to allow astronomers to penetrate the raw products from which galaxies form. Using its spectrographs, Hubble has actually likewise supplied the first direct detection of the environment of a planet orbiting a star outside our Solar System and has detected natural particles in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star.